


Start With a Larger Pot

by Tieleen



Category: Marvel (Movies), The Avengers (2012)
Genre: Gen, team dinner
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-09
Updated: 2012-06-09
Packaged: 2017-11-07 09:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,255
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/429312
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tieleen/pseuds/Tieleen
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the prompt: <em>After their missions, Steve makes food for all the Avengers.</em> Written before I saw the movie; you can tell by the fact that I forgot Bruce existed.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>"Excellently put," says Tony. "Think about it, Steve, it's not every day you get to make a Norse god happy. Think how happy he'd be if he could look forward to even more fine cooking from you."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Start With a Larger Pot

**Author's Note:**

> The full [prompt](http://avengerkink.livejournal.com/1854.html?thread=816958#t816958): _After their missions, Steve makes food for all the Avengers, like delicious homemade comfort food. Delicious souuuuups. mmmmm_
> 
>   _Any pairings or characters are up to anon! And bonus if Loki drops by because DAAAMN Captain America's cooking is so good, idk maybe his soup brings peace between them or whatevers._
> 
> _(This prompt brought to you by the delicious bowl of soup I just ate, and the only way it could have been better would be if Steve had served it to me.)_  
>   
> 
> It didn't really work as title material for this, but it should be noted that Julia Child once said: "The only real stumbling block is fear of failure. In cooking you've got to have a what-the-hell attitude." I'm pretty sure Steve would be great in the kitchen.

"This," Tony says, using his spoon to point emphatically, "this is what I'm talking about. We should be eating like this every day. Jarvis, why aren't we eating like this every day?"

"I believe it's because Captain Rogers doesn't cook every day, sir," Jarvis' voice says reasonably.

Steve looks back to where Tony is sitting on the counter, still in the Iron Man armor, though at least his helmet is off. It occurs to him that Tony must have had to reinforce every bit of his kitchen just in case he ever felt like sitting on anything without changing out of the armor first. He doesn't really find that too hard to believe.

Thor puts his bowl back on the table with a clang. But no breaking sound; definitely an improvement. "That is to be rued, my friend!" he says to Steve. "Even to those accustomed to Asgardian cooking, your soups are most delicious and savoury."

Steve can tell he's blushing a bit. Clint belches.

"This really is very good, Steve," Pepper says, giving Clint a faintly amused look. "You shouldn't let them bully you into doing more of the cooking, though. Or sweet-talk you into it -- believe me, Tony can afford to pay for his dinner."

"Hey, now," Clint says. "Not all of us are billionaires. Rogers should definitely feel free to feed us out of pity."

Steve grins. "I didn't realize SHIELD underpays its employees that badly. This is the kind of thing you can find at any diner around here, not a gourmet meal."

"We like yours better," Natasha says, returning his smile. Steve ducks his head a little, pleased.

"And anyway," Tony says thoughtfully, "as team leader, you _should_ be concerned with our health and diet. I mean, I'm pretty sure Barton's main food source is McDonald's. That can't be healthy."

Steve isn't inclined to believe that -- Clint isn't exactly in the kind of shape that comes from Happy Meals -- but he's heard a little too much about the evils of the modern era diet to discard it completely. He flicks a glance at the man himself, who's rolling his eyes, which could mean any number of things; then he looks at Agent Coulson, figuring he'd probably know better than any of them.

Agent Coulson, though, seems pretty absorbed in his bowl, eating with a great deal of quiet satisfaction. Steve blinks. He's pretty sure he hasn't served out any seconds (yet, if experience is to be believed), but Coulson's bowl is much too full for the time he's been eating and the dedication he's putting into it. The man really is a ninja.

"That's slander," Clint says, unconcerned. "I'm all for the end justifying the means, especially if the end is Rogers doing more cooking, but the means should never involve me getting guilted into doing more drills for my _health_. Why don't we talk about Stark's diet instead?"

"Oh, god," Pepper says. "Let's not."

"Yeah," Tony agrees. "Let's not. I already get guilted into doing things for my health --"

"That'll be the day," Pepper mutters.

"Of course," Natasha says, suddenly appearing behind Steve to open the round of seconds, "there's always the angle of team morale."

"Indeed," Thor nods. "My evening is greatly improved by your fine cooking, Captain. I dare say our missions would be far less satisfying without the added benefit of looking forward to this." He hands his bowl to Natasha with a winning smile; she purses her lips a little, looking him over with some amusement, then takes it to fill as well.

"Excellently put," says Tony. "Think about it, Steve, it's not every day you get to make a Norse god happy. Think how happy he'd be if he could look forward to even more fine cooking from you."

"Think how happy he'd be if you let him borrow one of your cars, Tony," Coulson suggests. Steve looks over, startled both because he's almost forgotten the man was there -- thinking about it now, he can't even remember noticing him arrive; _ninja_ \-- and because his bowl is full _again_.

Tony gives him a very fake smile full of far too many teeth. "Yes," he says, sweetly. "This is exactly the kind of concern for civilian safety and _my property_ I've come to expect from SHIELD agents."

"Aw, Stark," Clint says. "Does that mean I can't borrow your cars either? I think I'm hurt."

"You," Tony says, "can't get within a twenty foot radius of my cars. I have paperwork that says that somewhere."

"Midgardian vehicles are most intriguing," Thor says, while Clint makes disturbing pouty faces at Tony. "However, for the moment I believe I am content to be a passenger on them. The rules of the road are... bewildering."

Clint stretches over to pat his shoulder. "And we're all grateful for that, buddy."

"It's a lot more bewildering than it used to be," Steve says. "I'm sure you'll learn to handle it, though. Just... Maybe not in Tony's cars. To start with."

"Although," Pepper says, standing up to refill her bowl, and giving Steve the usual indulgent-slash-exasperated smile when he moves to do it for her, "Maybe you should have Tony work on whatever car you start with. Work in some extra safety features."

Tony hums thoughtfully. "A challenge. I do like a challenge." When Steve turns to look at him, Tony's giving him the same winning smile Thor had tried on Natasha before. Steve feels his mouth quirk a little before he goes over to take his bowl.

Pepper sighs. "You _really_ shouldn't let him get away with these things," she says. "That's the first step to ending up barefoot in the kitchen 24/7 cooking for the lot of them."

"Hm," Tony says again, with the same speculative tone of voice, accepting his now-full bowl and giving Steve another winning smile for his troubles. Steve snorts.

"I am certain we would arrange for the Captain to be supplied with appropriate footwear," Thor says. 

"Sometimes I really can't tell if you're joking," Clint says, meditatively.

Natasha's phone rings before any of them can say anything more. "Hello?" She says into it. "Oh -- did you forget something? ...Oh."

Steve follows her gaze to where Agent Coulson's bowl, finally empty, is sitting on the other end of the table. He hadn't heard him leave, either.

"So," Natasha says, carefully putting down her phone again, "Agent Coulson wanted us to know he's on his way, he got delayed at HQ, and if we finished Steve's food before he got here, there'd be hell to pay."

They all look at each other. Then they look down at their bowls, and back up again.

Thor is the first to break the silence, slapping the table and laughing with great hilarity. "Ah, Loki," he says, raising his bowl as if in a salute. "He always did love a good meal, however little you can tell to look at him. Ah well, it is truly good to know he is well fed this night."

Steve blinks. In a strange way, he supposes this is all a very nice compliment.

"You know," Tony says, slowly, "That pretty much means it was Loki's fault if the soup is gone when Coulson gets here."

Natasha snorts. "Yes," she says. "Good luck with that."

"You're very welcome to try, though," Clint offers.

Steve can tell Tony's pondering whether of not it's worth clarifying the not-at-all-true fact that he isn't afraid of Phil Coulson. 

"So!" he says. "If we're all done, there's some apple pie."

**Author's Note:**

> Julia Child also said, "Always start out with a larger pot than what you think you need." I suspect Julia Child was secretly an Avenger.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Start With a Larger Pot [The Careful Cooking Overdub]](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1254295) by [theladyscribe](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theladyscribe/pseuds/theladyscribe)




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